As vice chairman, Joe Biden – seen right here on left, in 2016 – had a working relationship with the Republican Senate majority chief, Mitch McConnell. Is that attainable now? Tom Williams/CQ Roll Name)

Republicans and Democrats could have extra frequent floor than it appears, a brand new survey finds.

Our survey – carried out in August and September in partnership with the Chicago Council on World Affairs and the College of Texas at Austin – requested greater than 800 authorities officers, congressional staffers, researchers, journalists and advocates to evaluate the probability of unified American efforts to deal with vital worldwide challenges by 2022. They recognized a number of international coverage points the place constructing bipartisan insurance policies was “extra possible than not.”

Bipartisanship was one of many central messages of President-elect Joe Biden’s marketing campaign.

Our analysis didn’t assess the potential of unified motion on home points, which many specialists see as exceedingly unlikely. Nevertheless it discovered 4 international coverage points the place Democrats and Republicans may come collectively.

Trump on the signing of the United States-Mexico-Canada Commerce Settlement on Jan. 29.

Drew Angerer/Getty Photos

1. China

Behind the toxic partisanship on show in Washington, Democrats and Republicans largely agree on U.S.-China coverage.

Throughout the Trump administration, Congress acted in a bipartisan method to sanction China for persecuting the Uighurs, a Muslim ethnic minority, and for repressing pro-democracy protesters in Hong Kong.

Democrats and Republicans additionally agreed that the US wanted to overtake the way it funds abroad growth to compete with China, which has earned goodwill from Africa to Latin America by constructing roads, dams and different vital infrastructure.

Greater than 9 out of 10 international coverage officers and specialists we surveyed thought it not less than considerably possible that the U.S. will make a significant effort through the subsequent two years to counter the persevering with rise of China. Amongst those that count on such an effort, 87% assume it’s extra possible than to not be bipartisan.

2. Pandemic preparedness

Regardless of the extreme politicization of COVID-19, bipartisanship is inside attain on future international well being challenges, our research exhibits.

Six out of seven international coverage professionals anticipate a giant push inside the subsequent two years to arrange for one more international pandemic. Of these, 78% assume it should entice help from each side of the aisle.

A considerable hole separates the 2 events on the popular stability between defending public well being and sustaining regular financial exercise through the coronavirus pandemic. However the events have labored collectively up to now to cut back the worldwide unfold of HIV/AIDS and to put money into the event of coronavirus vaccines.

3. Cyberthreats

Cooperation is possible, too, to guard People’ digital info from abroad adversaries.

After quite a few state-sponsored assaults on U.S. laptop networks by international locations together with China, North Korea, Russia and Iran, Congress is near approving bipartisan laws to determine a White Home cybersecurity czar.

By 2022, greater than three-quarters of officers and specialists predict Democrats and Republicans can have come collectively on different main steps to guard the US towards worldwide cyberattacks.

4. Commerce

Commerce is one other coverage space Democrats and Republicans could rally round, in keeping with our analysis.

It gained’t be straightforward to undo Trump’s “America First” coverage, which imposed tariffs on key imports like metal and closed off international markets to American producers. However 65% of these anticipating a significant effort by 2022 to increase worldwide commerce anticipate that it will likely be bipartisan.

There’s precedent for such collaboration. Trump’s United States-Mexico-Canada commerce settlement was handed with bipartisan approval earlier this 12 months.

Going alone on local weather

People in the present day are extra polarized than at any time for the reason that Civil Struggle, and Congress is bitterly divided.

However historical past exhibits international coverage can rise above the partisan fray. And dozens of Republican former nationwide safety officers endorsed Biden’s candidacy as a result of they had been “profoundly involved in regards to the nation’s safety and standing on the planet beneath Donald Trump.”

Biden’s nominations of international coverage officers who’re extremely regarded throughout the aisle, resembling Anthony Blinken for secretary of state, lay the groundwork for bipartisan motion.

Nonetheless, our survey recognized one main situation the place specialists imagine Biden will battle to realize Republican help: the worldwide local weather disaster.

Native American youths on the World Local weather Strike, Sept. 20, 2019, in Washington, D.C.

Samuel Corum/Getty Photos

Six of 10 People see local weather change as a vital risk, and Biden signaled the significance of the problem by naming former Secretary of State John Kerry his local weather envoy, a brand new Cupboard-level place.

However Republicans are a lot much less involved about local weather change than different People, analysis exhibits. Only some GOP legislators acknowledge that even gradual steps should be taken. The 2 events are sharply break up over such primary insurance policies as whether or not to mandate reductions in greenhouse fuel emissions.

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Solely 18% of the international coverage professionals in our survey who foresee a significant local weather initiative by 2022 assume that it will likely be bipartisan.

To aggressively deal with the local weather disaster, Biden will possible have to rely largely on govt motion – simply as President Barack Obama did.

Dina Smeltz, a senior fellow on the Chicago Council on World Affairs, contributed to the researching and writing of this text.

Jordan Tama receives funding from the Carnegie Company of New York and the Raymond Frankel Basis.

Joshua Busby receives funding from the Strauss Middle for Worldwide Safety and Legislation and the Clements Middle for Nationwide Safety on the College of Texas.

Michael J. Tierney receives funding from the Carnegie Company of New York.

Jonathan Monten and Joshua D. Kertzer don’t work for, seek the advice of, personal shares in or obtain funding from any firm or organisation that might profit from this text, and have disclosed no related affiliations past their tutorial appointment.